Name: Dave Dayton, TN (Zone 7a) Blessed beyond all merit.
When I moved to Tennessee back in 2005 I got a real bug to grow English Garden Roses in a "formal" rose garden. I love the beautiful blooms and the fragrance is just incredible. They make wonderful cut flowers. I have since taken this rose garden down. The one thing I learned is that these roses grow VERY well here in Eastern Tennessee and can really become huge. Having 30 or so plants required a large amount of work to keep them under control and looking good. The battle with the Japanese Beetle was constant just to stay even. The fragrance of the roses seem to make them more attracted to the blooms. My wife and I decided that our age we needed to shift gears a bit and plant a garden that was less demanding and hence we switched it over to more of a cottage garden. The show that these roses put on is nothing short of magnificent. Looking at these photos from just 3 summers ago has sort of ignited the fire again. A think a couple of Abraham Darby's would fit in nicely in the cottage garden. All of these roses are David Austin.
